COME AND FOLLOW ME

[Albert Finch]

In this season, God is giving out new "out of the box" ways of doing things. Don't get set in "your" ways, but learn to embrace His ways. What does this really mean? It means not to think as the world thinks. Do not accept what the world calls normal. We need a fresh Gospel mentality that is willing to walk away from the things that hinder and hamper our CALLING IN CHRIST.

LIFTING THE HEAVY BURDEN

God is looking for people who are willing to respond to His CALLING.
Take Matthew the tax collector as an example, or any of the disciples. Jesus said, "Come and follow Me." What we do not see is all the details that were involved in the sacrifice of those who followed Jesus.

Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

There is a hidden treasure that is only discovered by those who answer this call. For Matthew, it was deliverance from operating in the world's system as a tax collector, a boring occupation. God invites us to a life of adventure in the Gospel. It is better than we could ever imagine. When we respond to His invitation, He lifts the heavy burden of all the things of this life. Matthew probably had much burden, much boredom, and much anxiety. When he chose to follow the Lord he left all that behind. His burden became a thing of the past as He embraced the easy yoke of Jesus. Instead, he chose to experience the glory of God being with Jesus.

It really comes down to the question of "What are we here for?"
Are we storing up treasure in Heaven, or are we looking for our reward on earth?
Are we still trying to be somebody when Jesus is saying, "Come, follow Me"?
He lifts the heavy burden, bringing us into a place of ecstatic joy, life, and peace. The Gospel is still good news.
Do we still feel it in our heart?

A TIME FOR HEAVEN'S STRATEGIES

We are in a time where God wants to release new strategies to us that go against the typical trend. There are ways of doing things that work. Being in a religious rut causes you to do the same things over and over again with the same result, never learning to move into something new, fresh, and different.

Those caught in a religious trap are afraid of adventure, new things, different approaches, and will hold others back so that they won't feel so bad. Misery loves company. One of the main characteristics of fear is control. People in fear have to control to keep things safe for themselves. They will take things into their own hands rather than trusting the Lord.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

When we learn to trust the Lord, we then get a new and fresh perspective on things. It is like you had been in a box. As you learn to trust the Lord, you climb out of that box, seeing sunlight with the blue sky rather than darkness in the box. This is the way it works when we see as God sees. He has blueprints for each of us that will release life, making us contagious with His love, presence and CALLING.

Ask the Lord to get you out of the old place.
Question your own thinking.
Is your thinking in alignment with man's accepted way, or does God have a better way?
Then, what are you willing to lay down for a fresh blueprint from Heaven?

THE "YES" HARMONY EXPERIENCE

2 Corinthians 1:20-22 - " For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."

When we get in on God's plans, it is then that we experience the "YES" from the Lord as a seal upon His best for us. The good is the enemy of the best. When we discover God's best plan for our lives, then we experience an even greater affirmation of His voice to us.

As we come into harmony with the Holy Spirit, He brings us into a revelation of God's acceptance. Jesus received the affirming voice of God, not only because He was God's Son, but because He was walking according to he desires of the Father's heart. There is a place of precision and excellence where His affirming voice is made even clearer to us. This comes as we come into alignment with His voice and desires.

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